Men's basketball: CU Buffs look to turn up pressure on Fresno State

Defense could lead Boyle's squad to first road win

Three months after Colorado's 69-14 loss to Fresno State at Bulldog Stadium, the two schools meet again on the hardwood.

These Buffs (7-2) are hoping to defend and run their way to an elusive road victory over the offensively-challenged Bulldogs (5-4) tonight at the Save Mart Center (8 p.m., no television).

CU is coming off a 90-54 loss at then-No. 9 Kansas, the worst defeat the program has suffered in Boyle's three seasons as head coach.

The Buffs don't want to fail another road test before taking some time off for final exams next week.

"If a 36-point drubbing doesn't humble you, I don't know what will," Boyle said. "Experience is the best teacher, it's a better teacher than I am. We'll see what we took from it. We're not dwelling on it and we're moving on, but we're looking for progress."

The Buffs are 4-0 at the Coors Events Center and were 3-0 in winning the Charleston Classic during a 6-0 November.

But in two road losses, CU allowed Wyoming and KU to shoot high percentages and push the visitors around in the paint.

"It's very important. We have to get a road win under our belt and this is a great time to do it," said junior forward Andre Roberson, who had eight points and 11 rebounds during his final visit to Allen Fieldhouse. "We have to step up big-time on the road and be more mentally tough."

Despite those peach basket-like numbers, CU believes the home team is willing to engage in a transition game with the talented but inconsistent visitors from the Pac-12.

"Their strength is getting out in transition and pushing the ball. Our game plan is to make them play in the half court where they struggle," Roberson said. "They're having a hard time scoring in general. We looked at one score and it was like 39-30 for the game."

Fresno State was outscored 35-25 in the second half of Sunday's 59-50 loss at Washington State. Cougars forward Brock Motum earned Pac-12 player of the week honors after scoring 23 points on 8-for-16 shooting.

"They run on misses, they run on makes, so our transition defense is going to be key," Boyle said of the Bulldogs, a team CU defeated 71-64 in Boulder last season. "The way we have to get our transition game going is by getting stops. They're struggling scoring the ball, but they've got some capable shooters who are not shooting the ball well right now."

Askia Booker knows the feeling. CU's sophomore shooting guard scored 15 points at KU but was 5-for-15 from the field, including a 1-for-6 afternoon behind the arc.

Spencer Dinwiddie, who added just four points and sprained an ankle in Lawrence, practiced on Tuesday and is ready to start tonight.

"They're at home, so you never know what's going to happen," a cautious but confident Booker said. "They feel a little bit more comfortable at home, and our job is to not let them get hot."

CU ranks seventh in the Pac-12 in scoring offense (72.1 ppg) and last in the conference in scoring defense (69.9 ppg).

That's right, the Buffs are giving up 69 points per game entering this visit to Fresno, Calif.

"It's a big opportunity for us," Boyle said. "It's time for us to grow up a little bit and see if we've made any progress."

Follow Ryan on Twitter:

@RyanThorburn

CU men's hoops preview

WEDNESDAY: The Colorado Buffaloes (7-2) will seek their first true road win of the season against the Fresno State Bulldogs (5-4) at the Save Mart Center (15,596).

BROADCAST: No television. Radio on KKZN (AM 760) with Mark Johnson (play-by-play). Follow on Twitter: @RyanThorburn.

CU STORY LINES: The Buffs fell to 0-2 in true road games after suffering a humbling 90-54 loss at then-No. 9 Kansas last Saturday. ... Josh Scott (19 points) was the lone bright spot for CU, which turned the ball over 18 times and trailed the Jayhawks by as many as 42 points. ... The Buffs currently rank 12th in the Pac-12 in scoring defense, allowing an average of 69.9 points per game. ... Andre Roberson (11.4 rpg), the conference's reigning rebounding king, is a close second right now behind Oregon State's Eric Moreland (11.6 rpg). ... Spencer Dinwiddie, who sprained an ankle at KU, practiced on Tuesday and is ready to start tonight.

FRESNO STATE STORY LINES: The Bulldogs are coming off a 59-50 loss at Washington State on Sunday. Fresno State led 25-24 at the half but had no answer for Brock Motum (23 points, 8-for-16 shooting), who was named the Pac-12's player of the week. ... Fresno State ranks 19th nationally in scoring defense (56.2 ppg) and has a plus-35 steals margin. ... CU went through two days of training with Navy SEALs before the season. Fresno State went through a boot camp with the university's Army ROTC.

KEY STAT: Overall, the Pac-12 is 4-7 head-to-head against the Mountain West during this year's non-conference season. CU can improve to 3-1 with a win tonight (beat Air Force and Colorado State, lost at Wyoming).

PAC-12 TICKETS: In honor of 12-12-12, the Pac-12 is selling tickets to the conference tournament in Las Vegas for as low as $12 today. More information: http://pac-12.com/tickets.

COACHES: Tad Boyle is 55-28 in his third season at CU. Rodney Terry is 18-24 in his second season at Fresno State.

Billionaires, entertainers and athletes alike announced their intentions to pursue the Los Angeles Clippers with varying degrees of seriousness Wednesday, proving the longtime losers will be quite a prize if the NBA is able to wrest control of the team away from Donald Sterling after his lifetime ban for racist remarks. Full Story

Louie, who (like Louis) is a New York comic and a divorced father of two daughters, knows struggle and angst and cloudy wonderment. He views life through eyes with a stricken look, dwelling in a state of comfortable dread. Full Story